Chatham Naval Air Station here on Cape Cod was a birthplace of Naval Aviation. Shortly after America's entry into WWI, the blimps and flying boats stationed there were active in patrolling the East Coast for prowling German U-boats. There was a squadron of the big Curtiss HS-2L'S at Chatham

I kitbashed this HS-2L from the Roden 1/72 Curtiss H-16 kit. It required a great deal of surgery, as the H-16 was a lot bigger than the HS-2L and its fuselage lines and tail differed rather significantly as well. When I was done I just couldn't resist ginning up a tiny Davis gun to mount on the nose. The Davis gun was the original recoil-less cannon, which simultaneously shot a 6 lb shell out one end and six pounds of counterbalancing shot and grease out the other. For those of you who, like myself, were wondering -- yes, it had to be done very carefully to avoid holing the fuselage or the Liberty engine with that counterbalancing shot!